SSS maternity benefit releases jump to over P3B in H1 2018

THE state-run Social Security System (SSS) disbursed more than P3 billion worth of maternity benefits to over 157,000 qualified female members from January to June 2018.

SSS president and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc said maternity benefit disbursements jumped by 12 percent to P3.37 billion during the first half of 2018 from the P3.01 billion disbursements on the same six-month period last year.

Of the total number of beneficiaries, more than 68 percent or 107,268 availees are employee-members with total disbursements amounting to P2.85 billion.

About 38,724 availees are voluntary members with total benefit disbursements amounting to P411.36 million, followed by 7,279 self-employed and 3,892 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with benefit releases worth P41.36 million and P71.63 million, respectively.

“As the only state-run institution that provides maternity benefit to female workers from the private sector, we are glad that more members were able to receive cash benefits for the past six months. In fact, maternity benefit is now the third highest disbursement under the Social Security Program,” Dooc said.

To qualify for maternity benefits, members should have paid at least three monthly contributions within the 12-month period immediately preceding the semester of pregnancy or miscarriage, and should immediately report her pregnancy through her employer or directly to SSS if she is a registered self-employed or voluntary member.

“We just announced last April that self-employed and voluntary members can conveniently send their maternity notifications using the Text-SSS facility so that it would be easier for them to comply with our benefit application procedures. However, employed members are still required to notify the SSS through their employers,” Dooc added.

To submit maternity notifications through Text-SSS, members should key in: SSS MATERNITYNOTIF <SSNumber> <PIN> <Expected Delivery Date MM/DD/YYYY> <Total Number of Pregnancies (including this pregnancy)> and send it to 2600.

Each text message costs P2.50 for Globe/Touch Mobile and Smart subscribers and P2.00 for Sun Cellular subscribers. Members will receive a text confirmation once the maternity notification is successfully received by SSS.

“This is to remind our members who submitted their maternity notification via Text-SSS to submit their proof of pregnancy once they apply for maternity benefit reimbursement,” Dooc said.

Aside from the Text-SSS facility, maternity notifications can be submitted through My.SSS portal in the SSS website. Members should provide the necessary information such as expected date of delivery, number of delivery, and date of last delivery or miscarriage.

“SSS has introduced innovative ways on how to facilitate hassle-free transactions so that members can fully maximize their benefits and privileges. So I would like to encourage our female members to make use of the Text-SSS and My.SSS facility to submit their maternity notification,” Dooc concluded./PN